Selected in New Zealand Listener’s Top 50 Children’s Books for 2014
‘A tender story of grief, trust and healing ... Hannah broke my heart.’ AJ Betts, author of Zac & Mia
‘Highly readable, emotionally generous, impeccably controlled, and studded with memorable scenes. Worth reading.’ Books Publishing ‘4-star Review and Top Picks’
‘This is so wonderful. I’m absolutely blown away (and given how many books I read, that’s quite a feat). It is so beautifully written and constructed. So sad. And hopeful. My pick of the year so far.’
B. Bolliger, Australian Standing Orders
‘AMAZING. I felt a lump in my throat and like I was going to cry almost the whole way. Very powerful and so real.’ C. Wheeler, Teacher-Librarian
‘Amazing. Hannah's treatment at the hands of her schoolmates and her bloody sister was brutal, dealing with her poor damaged parents was heartbreaking. I loved it and I am so impressed with Claire's writing style. It's very engaging.’ Dymocks 234 Collins Street
‘It only took me 2 days to read, because I powered through it and savoured every word – it was so very, very good!’ The Co-Op Bookstore
‘Zorn vividly and entertainingly portrays the time and place.’ ReadPlus Blog
‘An outstanding work of fiction that deserves to be shared profusely and talked about.’ Tanya Grech Welden YA Writer Blog
‘A beautifully written story [that] will find its way into reader’s hearts.’ Crash My Party Blog ‘5 Star Review’
‘This book is worthy of every single star. Sad, moving and with a tentative friendship at its heart, The Protected will tear your heart to pieces and glue them back together again.’ The Loony Teen Writer ‘5 Star Review’
‘A moving, honest, hopeful story … Once I started reading I found it hard to put down, and it left me heartbroken and breathless, in the best possible way.’ The Bookish Manicurist Blog ‘5-Star Review’
‘A tale of a more-than-usually-troubled teenager … [with a] clever twist.’ SMH/Canberra Times/Saturday Age
‘Keep a close eye on Claire Zorn, guys, this author is going places … [she] has found a place on my favourite Aussie YA list. Beautiful and raw.’ YA Midnight Reads Blog
‘A brilliant observation of family, grief and bullying, peppered with wit and dry humour.’ Weekend Australian
‘Thoughtful, emotive and relevant.’ Newcastle Herald
‘Deeply moving, utterly authentic and at all times hopeful.’ Children’s Book Daily Blog
'The Protected was so fantastic; I read it in one sitting.’ Happy Indulgence Books Blog ‘5-Star Review’
Geez, I loved this. What a beautiful story.’ Words Read and Written Blog 5-Star Review
‘A heartbreaking, honest and at times humorous story about isolation, grief and new beginnings.’ Kids’ Reading Guide
‘The honesty of Claire’s writing has created a mesmerising, at times uncomfortable ride for readers ... The Protected is so much more than ‘just’ a school novel. A very accessible novel that packs a big emotional punch, The Protected is tailor-made for use in the classroom with students of Years 8-11, and for thoughtful individual readers of this age group.’ Magpies
‘This is a most enchanting and engrossing book, highly enjoyable to read. As the pages flew by, I kept begging myself to slow down, to make the story last longer. A highly-recommended novel, by an author whose writing is both entertaining and compassionately wise. [Hannah] is a memorable heroine whose voice carries the story with strength and plausibility. Zorn writes with colourful expertise about adolescent life and its thousand big and small moments: her descriptions of high school challenges are often harrowing and always genuine.’ Viewpoint
‘Following the success of her first novel, Claire Zorn displays her remarkable talent again in The Protected. The Protected is complicated, fragile, and beautifully authentic. Zorn is adept at exploring the challenges and complexities of growing up, and the fallibility of adults.’ Australian Book Review
‘A novel about a girl’s struggle with family trauma that the judges praised for its “insight, originality and wit”.’ The Australian: 2015 Victorian Premier's Literary Awards Judges' Comments
‘An honest and confronting look at the repercussions of teen bullying.’ Illawarra Mercury
‘A searing tale.’ Bendigo Weekly
‘If I could give this book six out of five stars, I would. Claire Zorn has created a masterpiece in The Protected. This novel is one I will always remember. The ideal novel for anyone who has had a sibling that they don’t understand or even like at times.’ Gold Coast Bulletin
‘It is a novel you will want to read slowly, just to savour its world, its characters, its observations, and most of all to delay arriving at the end of it. Read it, enjoy it, pass it on to friends.’ Reading Time